It is known to record data marginally along a filmstrip at spaced intervals corresponding to exposed frames to which the data relates. The data may relate to exposure parameters associated with a specific frame and be recorded on the film at the time of exposure adjacent to the frame for later reference in producing prints from the developed negatives. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,831; 4,652,104; and 4,639,111 to the same inventor, for example, disclose marginal encoding by optical means adjacent a frame at the time of exposure of frame specific field of view identification information in a tele/pan camera. The data may also be subject specific, such as date and time of shot, etc. Examples of so called "data back" cameras are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,322,147; 4,470,677; 4,588,274; and 4,664,491.
A typical means of recording such data is by exposing the film in registration with the subject image to a bank of light emitting diodes (LED's) or other optical display device at the time of or immediately following exposure of a particular frame, and prior to advancement of the film to a next available exposure frame.
Conventional frame data applying cameras that employ motorized film drives operate to normally automatically advance the film immediately following the exposure. To avoid blurring or incomplete data entry, various embodiments exist to temporarily delay advance of the film for a short period until both the primary exposure shutter operation and any data entry operation currently in progress are completed. The motor drive or winder is actuated only upon receipt of "go ahead" signals representing termination of in-process data recording and termination of the current frame exposure. Such systems advance the film after a short delay if data entry does not occur, thereby preventing subsequent initiation of delayed entry of data; and, where data entry has already occurred, film advance will occur as soon as exposure is completed, without providing any opportunity for reviewing or correcting the recorded data.
The provision of the magnetic recording track on a still camera filmstrip for the purpose of storing various frame specific data (such as date, place, photographer, exposure conditions, and other data for subsequent personal or photographic laboratory use) is disclosed in Ohta U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,911. Ohta suggests the use of such a track as a recording medium for providing the camera with information regarding film sensitivity or the number of exposed or unexposed frames.
It is a desirable objective in recording frame specific data in correlation with the exposed frames of a photographic film to maximize the amount of time available for the application and/or correction of data relating to a frame, without thereby unduly delaying the next exposure, and without preventing the high speed frame-to-frame advance desired for taking a rapid sequence of successive exposures, such as done in sports photography and the like.
One method of minimizing recording time for a rapid sequence of exposures, is to record data in conventional fashion at or immediately following exposure for the first shot, but to deactivate the data recording feature for the remainder of the same sequence. It is a desirable objective to be able to minimize the recording time for a continuous sequence of shots, but without the initial delay experienced from first to second shot of the sequence, and without thereby losing an opportunity either to enter or to correct the recorded data relating to that sequence. It is also desirable to record the number of shots in the sequence to which the data relates.